Spain seeks to prevent Puigdemont from returning to Catalonia incognito

The Spanish government is actively working with security forces to prevent independent leader Carles Puigdemont from returning to Catalonia incognito to be sworn in as president of the region, Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido said Tuesday.

Carles Puigdemont, in voluntary exile in Belgium since October 30, is a candidate to preside over Catalonia again, but if he returns to Spain, where he is judicially persecuted for rebellion and sedition, he can be detained and remanded in custody, as are other leaders. independence

Asked about the possibility of crossing the Spanish border in secret with the aim of reaching the Catalan Parliament and be invested, Zoido told TVE public television that “we are working so that this can not happen, in the borders and within the borders.” , everywhere”.

“We will try not to enter (the Catalan Parliament) or in the trunk of a car,” said the minister, admitting that in the Spanish government “we are undoubtedly very concerned, because a person who has this behavior does not know what what can he do?

“We have experts in the Civil Guard and the National Police and we will be working in a very intense way, tomorrow, afternoon and night so that this does not happen,” he said.

The roads to Spain are “easy to control”, but “the border to cover is very extensive” and there are “many rural roads, you can enter with a helicopter, with ultralight, with boat,” Zoido conceded.

Puigdemont, arrived in Belgium just before being accused of rebellion and sedition for his participation in the failed declaration of independence in Catalonia on October 27, wants to be invested remotely by the regional Parliament, dominated by the independence.

But that possibility is considered anti-regulation by the legal services of Parliament and the opposition in Catalonia and the government of Spain have warned that they will appeal.